Supporting Your Partner Through Labor & Birth

…is to PREPARE to advocate for your partner!!

This is essential for your role during labor and birth.

As we just talked about, when your partner feels stressed, the body’s natural response will be to release more cortisol.

In labor, cortisol serves an important function in stimulating contractions.

But when too much of these stress hormones are released, many nonessential physiological processes shut down temporarily as the body shifts into a hyper-alert state, preparing to respond to an emergency.

Muscles tense. Blood sugar levels rise. Processes such as digestion, growth, and repair are stunted.

In short, the body does precisely the opposite of what is optimal for progression through labor.

So, what’s one of the best ways you can help to mitigate any potential stress your partner might feel when in labor?

Understand and embrace the fact that – when it comes to labor and birth – KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

In the coming weeks and months, one of the important ways you can show up for your partner and your child is to consume information, read books, take classes, and ask questions.

What evidence-based studies suggest is that the strongest indicators of a positive birth experience are not how closely everything went according to plan, but the degree to which the birthing person felt seen, heard, informed, respected, and in control of their decisions.

So, the more you learn and the more conversations you have together, the more capable you’ll be of refining your birth preferences; the better you’ll understand how your partner would like to approach this experience, what are their most significant hopes and desires, what obstacles might arise and what considerations take priority if adjustments need to be made.

This foundation of knowledge and understanding will allow your partner to more fully surrender to their own natural, intuitive rhythm, resting in the full trust that you are fully present and ready. You are there not only to give the best support possible from the first contractions until your baby arrives and beyond, but also to confidently answer any questions from your birth team and advocate for your family no matter what comes up.

Which leads us to…